REMARKS BY THE FOUNDER & CHANCELLOR OF AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY, ADO-EKITI, ABUAD, AARE AFE BABALOLA, CON, SAN, AS THE CHAIRMAN AT THE FIRST VOICE OF REASON (VOR) GOKE OMISORE ANNUAL LECTURE HOLDEN IN LAGOS ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2020.
Protocols:
Introduction:
I consider it an honour to be invited as the Chairman of the First Voice of Reason, VOR, Goke Omisore Annual Lecture with the theme: “Restructuring- Building a Knowledge-based Society”. I am the more delighted to be part of the Lecture in that it is designed to address and provide answers to the major problems afflicting Nigeria today.
Tribute:
I pay special tribute to Mr. Tunji Alapinni, a believer in a strong and prosperous one Nigeria. This humble Assistant Inspector General of Police (rtd) led a team of other eminent Yoruba Leaders to deliver the letter of invitation in my office in far away Ado-Ekiti. I want to publicly appreciate him for the honour. My prayer is that your labour of love will not be in vain.
The timing of this Lecture cannot be better than now in view of the recent developments in the country and the myriad of problems facing it today. Such problems include but are not limited to unpaid salaries, pensions and other emoluments, spiral unemployment, different shades and shapes of violence, armed robbery, poverty, grossly underfunded institutions, poor infrastructure including deplorable road network, insecurity at home, on the road and on the farms as well as killings for different motives.
The Voice of Reason:
It is a notorious fact that the Voice of Reason is not a political party, but it is out to solve political problems like that of the restructuring of the country and those mentioned above.
It is a well known fact I grew up as a young man during the Colonial era. During the time under reference, there was quality education which I benefited from and that is what has brought me to where I am today. During that era, there was no poverty in Nigeria. There was 100{ea8c11308c9c5919903708965b7b7a67d75ff567d88a1bebc318ff793fd0b309} employment as a result of which there was no hunger or begging. Life was safe at home, on the road and on the farms. You could leave the door to you house open and go to your farm and come back to meet your house intact. This was simply because everybody was gainfully employed. Even those who were engaged in other vocations like Bricklaying, Tailoring, Barbing, Trading and Carpentry still engaged in Agriculture if only to feed members of their immediate families. At that time, Nigerians harboured a strong abhourence for corruption. That was the trend in those days.
Problems of Nigeria today:
I have enumerated some of the problems afflicting this country earlier in this narrative. All of these problems arose because we disobeyed our founding fathers who in their wisdom fashioned out the 1960 Independence Constitution and the 1963 Republican Constitution that would have continually improved our lot as a nation. Our founding fathers appreciated more than the present crop of leaders that we are a country of many nations waiting to evolve as a country.
Knowing that Nigeria contains more than 250 ethnic nationalities with different cultures, languages, religions and customs, Nigeria’s founding fathers, after sitting together in Lancaster House in London for almost 10 years, fashioned out a constitution that united the different ethnic nationalities. This was one of the main reasons why both the 1960 Independent Constitution and 1963 Republican Constitution worked well before the Military made a forceful incursion in governance following the Military coup of January 15, 1966.
In essence, when the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions were in operation in Nigeria, poverty and other problems afflicting Nigeria today were virtually non-existent in the country.
The real problem:
In my New Year message to the nation, I had said that:
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“The real and main problem Nigeria has today is the Military Constitution which was christened 1999 Constitution and foisted on us by the Military. Unless the 1999 Constitution is properly addressed and jettisoned in a place of a truly people’s constitution, we shall continue to groan in pain as a nation.
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The 1999 constitution should be jettisoned because it encouraged indolence, lack of creativity, greed and avarice, wanton struggle for positions in the Central Government and the untoward attitude of begging for monthly allocation from the Federal Government. It is common knowledge today that politics has suddenly and lamentably become the only lucrative business in the country.
As a strong and an unrepentant advocate of restructuring, I still stand by my position that restructuring the country is the only way out for this country as restructuring will assist us in many diverse ways. It will enable us have a truly federal constitution as a result of which there would be a change in the mode of election and the type of people we would elect to govern us. It will ensure that we have part-time legislation, reduce the humongous salaries currently being earned by our legislators in favour of sitting allowances. It will ensure that we have two political parties and reduce cost of governance. It will ensure we run our elections at cheaper rates while women representation in governance will be higher.
Our constitution is the greatest problem of Nigeria, a country of nations, today. The operation of the constitution is expensive with its attendant over-concentration of power at the centre, thereby rendering the States and the Local Governments totally impotent unlike what obtained under the Parliamentary Constitutions of 1960 and 1963.
Any person who is in doubt about the efficacy of those constitutions and the advantages of the Parliamentary System of Government over the Presidential System of Government should go into history of the rapid development and cohesion that existed between 1950 and 1966. The facts are there and they speak for themselves.
I say with emphasis that the only change that can change the country for the better and pave way for the enhancement of one Nigeria is the change that changes the structure of Nigeria. It is that change that will make politics less attractive, make each state to develop at its own pace and do away with all shades and shapes of criminality. It is restructuring that would enable the component parts of the country to develop their resources, provide employment, eradicate poverty and make individuals to become true Nigerians.
It is restructuring that would enable each state to control its population, set internationally acceptable standard for admission to tertiary institutions and bring back the glory of quality education from our universities.
Above all, it is restructuring that would curb overconcentration of power in the centre and reduce corruption, promote harmony and unity and make the country metamorphose into a nation.
The proposed new constitution:
I have read the draft of the proposed new constitution sent to me. The content is in line with my thinking of what a new people’s constitution, which will ensure the rapid development of the federating states/regions, should be. The proposed new constitution would make politics less attractive. It will enable Nigeria to have transformational leaders who will be visionary and enterprising, who will serve free, who will only earn sitting allowances and who will use government money for the development of the country. The new people’s constitution will put a most deserving end to the current prevalence of transactional leaders who are only out to make money for themselves.
Click here to download VOR draft constitution
Click here to download VOR draft constitution (Yoruba Translation)
Oil in the North:
I was very happy when I read the news that oil has been discovered in the North. I pray for more of such discoveries round the country as this will make it easier for the country to embark on the process of restructuring and thereby solve the age-long problems of the oil producing states.
Conclusion:
I enjoin you to listen to the Lecturer patiently and attentively. Once again, I thank you for thxre opportunity for me to address you as the Chairman of this Lecture. I wish you a most rewarding time and may the purpose of this Annual Lecture continue to be realized.
Thank you for listening.
AARE AFE BABALOLA, OFR, CON, SAN, LL.D (London), LL. D (UNILAG), LL. D (UI), D. Lit (NDA), FNSE, FNIALS
Founder & Chancellor
Afe Babalola University
Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria
